Picking Up the Pieces
by pallasphoenix
Summary: Tsubaki can't take it anymore. She's finally snapped. Tsubaki/Soul
1. Chapter 1

_Hai= _Right or Yes

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Black Star and I are in our home. Black Star is watching cartoons, and I am cooking dinner, which is Instant Ramen tonight, due to this afternoon's battle with yet _another_ DWMA student that got on Black Star's nerves.

It's not that I'm tired. I wasn't fighting with my meister. I wasn't even allowed to sit on the sidelines. Black Star was worried that I would jump in and "baby" him when he got hurt.

Ever since he mastered my Enchanted Sword mode, Black Star has wanted to fight by himself more and more lately. I think it's because of pride, because he wants to show everyone that he is a god, and gods can fight without weapons.

The other reason I made ramen was because it's my favorite. It reminds me of my home in Japan.

"Black Star! Dinnertime!" I call, expecting my favorite blue haired meister to jump into his seat at the table.

But he doesn't.

I lean over the kitchen island to see what Black Star's up to, and I call his name again.

"Black Star?"

"Just a minute, Tsubaki. My favorite show hasn't ended yet," Black Star responds in a monotone voice, mesmerized by the zany anime characters jumping around the screen.

I have never liked television much, but Black Star is always watching it. In an effort to "be cool", as Soul says, I ask him what show he's watching.

No response.

"Hey, Black Star, what'cha watching?"

"_Naruto_. It's very relatable. But the main character is so annoying!"

I've seen that show once or twice over Patty and Liz's place. The main character is just like Black Star.

"Oh, that's cool," I say. "Why don't you come and eat? Your ramen is getting cold."

Black Star stiffens.

"Ramen?"

"_Hai._ I thought I would mix the dinner menu up a little bit."

"Tsubaki…. I hate ramen!" Black Star yells, never moving from his comfy position on the couch.

I'm shocked. Why is he getting so upset? I thought he **loved** ramen! I stammer, my face is surely turning a light crimson color.

"I'm sorry, Black Star. I thought you liked ramen," I respond.

He sighs dramatically, turning to me and crossing his arms.

"Honestly Tsubaki, sometimes I think you _like_ slacking off. You try to feed me _ramen,_ instant no less," he says nonchalantly, like it's a well known fact.

"And you forgot to put out fresh towels in the bathroom. I had to use _your_ dirty towel," he finishes. My mouth is open, and I'm still trying to process what he's said, trying to form coherent sentences.

There's this feeling in the pit of my stomach, a violent twisting of my emotions. It tints my vision a red color, and forces me to clench my teeth. I slowly curl my hands into fists.

So this is what _true_ anger feels like.

It's not like I don't know how to be angry. It's just that I've never had to be _really _angry. I've always swallowed my pride and let others get their way.

Now, I'm really angry.

I close my eyes, trying to calm myself.

"Black Star, I'm sorry. I could make you something-"

"Nope. It's too late. It's already been done." Black Star dismisses my comment so quickly.

Like it's puny and unimportant compared to his.

I glare at him, letting the anger get the best of me. All that's happened in the last couple months, on top of our take and take relationship, on top of everything, has finally made me snap. I guess I kept everything bottled up, letting things slide.

Black Star really is a jerk.

I look at him, but he's already back to watching _Naruto_.

The nerve of him.

I can't take it anymore.

"JUST LISTEN TO ME!" I screech. I drive my fist into the wall, and drywall fibers float around in the air, settling on my face and hand like dust. I've made a sizable whole in the wall. I punched right through it, like it was made of paper.

Before Black Star has a chance to say anything, I storm out. I slam the door behind me, leaving Black Star alone, and the ramen cold.


	2. Chapter 2

_I thought I would incorporate Japanese terminology into my story. Here's all the Japanese you need to know in order to make it through this chapter._

_...-chan = _Chan is used for young girls as a sign of affection or friendship. Girls that are friends will call each other ...-chan

_...-kun_ = Kun is used for young boys as a sign of friendship. Friends will often call the boy ...-kun

_Konnichwa = _Hello 

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><p><strong><strong>**Chapter 2**

I breathe in the cool night air as I walk, hands swaying at my sides. It's nice to relax, to only think about you for a bit.

It's not often I get to go places without Black Star.

I climb up the stairs to the apartment. Was it C8, or A4? I guess I'll try the C one first.

I knock at the door, and thankfully, Maka answers it.

"Oh hi, Tsubaki-chan. Come in!"

"Thank you," I say, sitting down at her kitchen table. Maka slides a cup of tea over to me, curls of steam escaping from the hot liquid. We sip our tea for a little bit, and then Maka clears her throat.

"It's not that your not welcome to come here anytime you want, but why are you here? It's sorta late," asks Maka, green eyes staring straight into my soul.

"Well, um," I start, but I'm cut off by another voice.

"_Oy, Maka_! Who's here?" shouts a husky voice, sounding like they were woken up ahead of schedule.

"It's just Tsubaki, Soul-kun," Maka yells back.

Soul appears in the doorway of the room, wearing flannel pajama pants, no socks, and a white tank top. Of course, he was also wearing his signature headband. It seemed like he had been sleeping and had just slapped it on, because his white hair was all messy and sticking up in odd places.

"Oh, _Konnichiwa, _Tsubaki," Soul says when he sees me, and flops down on the chair next to Maka. Drumming his fingers on the table, he whistles and looks about, waiting for Maka to make him some tea. She doesn't, so he glares at her almost comically. Defeated, he sinks down lower into his chair.

I shift in my chair, very uncomfortable with Soul and Maka paying so much attention to me. If Black Star were here, he would be taking all the attention off of me.

"I just couldn't take Black Star anymore. He never wants to do what I want to, he never listens to me. It's like being partnered up with an ignorant child. He got upset tonight because I made Instant Ramen," I say. Soul chuckles.

Maka shoots him a _stop it!_ look, but he's not paying attention.

"_Oy_. I love ramen. I wouldn't make a big deal if I was your meister," he says suavely.

I blush a little, and luckily, Maka-chan doesn't seem to notice.

"So you left because he wouldn't eat your ramen? Seems a little extreme," states Maka.

"Well, I got really angry."

Soul and Maka look at each other.

"How angry?" Soul asks.

I rub my upper arm shyly.

"I punched a hole in the wall, and left."

Maka faints.

"Hey! That's not cool Maka!" Soul shouts at an unconscious Maka. I giggle, and Soul smiles at me.

"Come'on Tsubaki. We have to carry her to bed. I'm assuming you'll want to be crashing here for the night," Soul says.

"_Hai, _I mean,if it's not any trouble," I say, hoping it won't be any trouble.

"Not at all. I'll be right back," he says, carrying his meister to her bed. Soul comes back a few minutes later, with a sleeping bag and a stack of movies in hand.

"Do you like scary movies?" he asks.

"Not really," I say, but when I see him frown a little, I change my answer. Soul excitedly runs to the kitchen to make popcorn, and I know I'm not getting any sleep tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I shifted into a comfy position on the couch while Soul held out two movies for me to choose from.

"Aw come on, Tsubaki! Just pick already! It's either _Zombie City_ or _Battlefield: Tokyo_," he said, putting on a pouty face.

"Um, well, I don't really care. Which ever you want," I respond. I don't really want to watch either, but all he had were horror movies.

"Fine. _Zombie City _it is," the white haired scythe said, popping the disc into the DVD player. He sat himself down on the couch next to me, grabbing the remote and pressing PLAY. The movie was slow at first, Soul was explaining what was happening. Obviously, he had watched this many times before.

"And then, the nurse turns into a zombie, but no one notices at the beginning, until her finger falls off during a surgery," Soul says, even though I'm not listening.

When the action starts, Soul stops talking. He chuckles softly when I scream at the young woman on the screen that her son is a zombie. Naturally, she can't hear me as little Timmy bites her hand off.

When the popcorn runs out, Soul pauses the movie to get some more.

"So, are you okay," he asks.

"Yeah. This movie's not that bad. I mean, zombies aren't my _favorite_," I say, and he laughs.

"No, I meant are you okay about what happened with you and Black Star. You must feel pretty bad."

Blushing at my foolishness, I respond.

"Actually, I think I'm okay. I think some time apart would do us good,"

"So you're breaking up?"

"WHAT? No! We were never, where did you get that?"

"I don't know. You guys, just seemed," Soul stops, embarrassed, and the microwave dings.

ooo

At 12 o'clock, Soul and I are watching _Kill Thy Neighbor_. It's supposedly about a man whose wife is cheating on him with the neighbor, sending him off the edge and making him go crazy.

When we get to the scene where the man finds his wife and the neighbor in bed, Soul yawns and puts his arm around me. It's kind of uncomfortable, but yet, it is. When I don't push his hand away, Soul scoots closer to me.

By 12:30, we're snuggling. Soul is actually quite the gentleman. He's not rude, even when I fall asleep for twenty minutes and he's forced to stare at the main menu screen until I woke up. Soon, my eyelids begin to grow heavy again, and it's getting harder and harder to keep them open. Soul notices this, and not happy to repeat the previous dilemma, he talks to me.

It's just about the movie at first, but then he begins to ask me questions. Not really deep questions, just like "Did you have any pets as a kid?" or "What's your favorite restaurant?"

By 1:30, we're both delusional due to lack of sleep, and we are playing 20 Questions. When he guesses my item, which is a pineapple, he pulls me closer and looks me in the eyes. I know he can feel my heart racing, but hopefully he can't see how red my cheeks are. I've never been this close to a boy.

Before I can start the game again, he kisses me. Just a quick one, to make sure I feel the same way.

I smile, and return the kiss.

He cups my face in his hands, and our lips smash together. He smells oddly of peppermint. I twirl my fingers in his spiky white hair, and he's rubbing circles on my back. We kiss like this for a while, and then we stop, both of us out of breath.

"That was perfect," I say, unable to form sentences any longer than that. My head is spinning.

Soul smiles, and I know that we belong together.

"You're perfect."

I blush, and rub my arm. We reassume our previous snuggling position, and I'm taking in everything in this perfect moment.

"So, I suppose we're a couple now," He says after a while. I grin.

"I suppose we are," I say, and lean in for another kiss.

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><p><em>Hey guys! Hope you liked that! If you didn't know already, I have two fan fics I am working on right now. This one, and one for <em>Legend of the Seeker._ Since it's a lot to update both at the same time (plus keeping both fan sides happy) I will alternate updates. Next week, I will not be writing, so the next week, I will write for this __fan fic. The next week, I'll update the other_ one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Feeling a cold touch on my arm, I wake up and jump off the couch, only to realize that its just Soul-kun, still sleeping. I let out a tiny giggle when he slumps over without me to support him. With a yawn, I shuffle over to the small kitchen and start the coffee maker.

I never usually make coffee, since neither Black Star nor I drink it. He's already way too hyper to drink coffee, and I think it tastes bitter. Steam rises from the black coffee machine, and I'm sincerely hoping that Soul-kun wakes up soon, because I'm pretty sure that the kitchen appliance is going to explode. Slowly inching away from the hazardous gizmo, I search the pantry for anything to make Maka and Soul for breakfast. When I find a box of pancake mix, I eagerly follow the recipe on the side panel, and 20 minutes later, BAM, I'm carrying a giant plateful of pancakes to the table.

Boy, do those smell good! But first, I need to find the syrup. I'm trying to find syrup, but the kitchen is so disorganized. Frustrated, I start taking out all the contents of the pantries, organizing them by taste.

By 9:00, I have completely re-organized the kitchen cupboards, and have swept the floor.

By 9:30, the bathroom and all the windows are clean.

At 10:00, in the middle of my attempt to save some bamboo plants from a horrible death, Maka comes out of her room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

I pop my head out of the doorway, waving to her. Maka looks at me quizzically, and then notices Soul passed out on the couch. She looks at me, and at Soul-kun again, and then laughs.

"So, did you and Soul, you know?" Maka asks, obviously not jealous about me and Soul having an "intimate" slumber party. I feel my ears turning red, and walk over to Maka, who has relocated to the kitchen table.

"No, no. We just…well…" I say, embarrassed. I want to talk to Maka about it, but I'm afraid she'll be grossed out.

"Tsubaki, if you and Soul did ANYTHING, you **have** to tell me! I want details!" says Maka, green eyes widening as she shoves a pancake into her mouth. "Oh and by the way, thanks for making breakfast."

"You're welcome. And, we didn't really do anything. We sort of just, well, made out."

"OMG! Yay!" said Maka excitedly.

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><p><em>Sorry guys, I'm shutting this story down. I didn't have a plotline originally, and quite frankly, I got bored. And ran out of ideas. My inent was to create a <span>good<span> Soul & Tsubaki story, because I never see them. I apoligize again for leaving eveyone hanging. I don't want to dissapoint. _

_If you would like, you can continue the story from here. If you do, though, just send it to me. _


End file.
